Drawing table



March 27, 1934. a SCHEUER 1,953,026

DRAWING TABLE Filed Nov'. 27, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l 247% [ja uar March 27, 1934. R SCHEUER 1,953,026

' DRAWING TABLE Filed Nov. 27, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE to Hamilton Rivers, Wis., a

Manufacturing corporation of Wisconsin Company, Two

Application November 27, 1931, Serial No. 577,514

3 Claims.

This invention relates to drawing tables partticularly such as combine a desk and a drawing board pivoted to the desk above the upper surface thereof, so as to be tiltable transversely of t e' desk, so that an ordinary ofiice chair may be used in connection with both the desk and the drawing board. When the drawing board is used, the draftsman sits at one side of the desk and when the desk top is used, he sits at the other side, the drawing table thus facing away from the position occupied by the draftsman when he is merely using the desk top. This provides two working surfaces, one the desk top and the other the drawing board which may, if desired, be used simultaneously.

In drawing tables of this type speed of adjustment of the angle of the drawing board is highly important. Hitherto it has been the practice to clamp the board at a given angle by clamping means which must be operated by the draftsman each time that he desires to change the angle of tilt of the board. As this angle must be changed at frequent intervals during the course of work on a drawing considerable time is lost by the draftsman in operating the clamping means. My invention contemplates provision whereby the board is frictionally maintained at a desired angle by sufiicient friction to prevent movement of the board under the ordinary stress imposed upon it by the draftsman while working, on the board and yet which will not prevent the angle being changed by slight additional pressure when such additional pressure is imposed upon it by the draftsrnan to intentionally change the angle.

Furthermore, in drawing tables of this type, where the drawing board is intended to be frequently tiltedfrom a horizontal to a vertical position, considerable annoyance has been caused by the difficulty in keeping the drawing instruments upon the drawing board, these naturally slidingv down and perhaps off the board when the drawing board is tilted. The present invention. is inclusive of means by which frequently used instrument-s such as scales, triangles etc. are held on the board in a position where they will not. interfere with the complete use of the board and yet are readily accessible to the hand of the draftsman.

The invention will be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure I is an end elevational view of an improved drawing table constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of Figure 1 looking at the table from the side occupied by the draftsman when the desk top is being used, that is from the left of Figure 1; 0

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of a preferred form of friction mechanism in accordance with my invention as shown in Figures 1 and 2, somewhat enlarged;

Figure 4 is an end view of the structure of Figure 3, parts being shown in section;

Figure 5 is a fragmentarysection taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, but showing the mechanism of Figure 3 in the position shown in dotted lines; V 70,

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3'; and

Figure '7 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of my instrument holder.

Referring in detail to the figures of the draw- 7 ings, I have shown a base such as the desk I having the top surface 2 and provided with the usual drawers 3 at one side thereof. The end members 4 of the desk are desirably formed of one piece of metal which may be a casting, for example, and in the illustrative construction have formed'integrally therewith the standards 5 at the side of the desk opposite the side containing the drawers 3. The standards 5desirably project above the surface 2.

The standards 5 each rigidly support a member providing a friction surface such as the drum 6 which may be formed integrally with the standard or may be riveted thereto as by the rivets 7 passing through the plate of the drum and into the standard.

In accordance with my invention, I provide another member frictionally engaging the first mentioned friction member. This second friction member is represented in this instance by the resilient metal band 8 which almost completely encircles the periphery of the drum 6 and frictionally engages the surface thereof. The bands 8 carry the drawing board 9, each of the bands being here shown extended toform a bracket 10 to which the board 9 is appropriately secured. Since each band 8, with the drawing board 9 thereon is rotatable with respect to the drum 6, the drawing board may be tilted with respect to the desk 1 from its horizontal position as shown in Figure 1 to a position, in which latter position the drawing board faces away from the desk and is at such a height that it may be conveniently used by the operator or draftsman, while the draftsman is occupying an ordinary office chair'located at the 110 substantially vertical to prevent movement of In the illustrative construction the band 8 has free ends 11 and 12 which are engaged by a U- shaped clip 13, the bracket 10 being apertured as at 14 to permit the clip 13 to be passed therethrough. A pivot pin 15 passes through the sides of the clip and supports between these sides a cam member such as the eccentric 16 fixed on the pin 15. Thus the free ends 11 and 12 of the band 8 are confined between the clip 13 and the eccentric 16. The pin 15 also has fixed at one end thereof a hand lever 17 which when rotated rotates the eccentric 16to compress the ends 11 and 12 of the band 8 together or to permit them to separate by the inherent resiliency of the band, depending upon the direction of rotation of the lever 17, thus increasing or decreasing the friction between the band 8 and drum 6.

For example, the draftsman may readily set the lever 1'7, moving it from the position shown in Figure 5 (and in dotted lines in Figure 3) say half-way toward the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 or to a position so that the friction between the drum 6 and band 8 is just sufficient the board 9 under the normal stresses occasioned by his use of the board to draw thereon. Normally the lever 1'7 need not then be touched again so long as he is using the board. When he wishes to change the angle of tilt of the board he need but press a little harder upon the top or bottom of the board, depending upon the direction in which he wishes to move it. Thus no time need be wasted by the draftsman in operating any mechanical device to adjust the angle of the board, while, at the same time, the board is completely responsive to his will. Should he anticipate placing additional stress upon the board and desire to securely lock the board against movement under such additional stresses, the hand lever 1'7 may be, say, readily moved to the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 at which time the clip 13 and the eccentric 16 will still further compress the free ends of the band 8 and the degree of compression may be made such that the board 9 will be rigidly held in one position.

To minimize the extent to which the lever 1'7 must be turned from its initial position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 to secure the minimum operative friction between the band 8 and drum 6, I have provided auxiliary control means for compressing the ends 11 and 12 of the band together, such as the set screw 18, which has threaded engagement with the clip 13 and passes therethrough to abut the band end 11. By this means a factory adjustment, for example, may be made between the band 8 and the drum 6 to provide for suflicient initial friction between these parts to maintain the board 9 in a given rotative position when it is under the stress of merely its own weight. Further adjustment of this friction to sustain the stresses arising from the draftsmans use of the board may then be secured by the draftsman by manipulating the lever 17, as

already described. The set screw 18 is conveniently accessible through the aperture 14 in the bracket 10.

Extending along a portion of one edge of the board 9, preferably what would be the upper edge as the board is tilted toward the vertical position, I have provided the instrument holder shown generally at 19 which includes means for yieldingly retaining such instruments as the triangle 20. As here shown the holder comprises a flat support 21 which is desirably olfset from the surface of the board 9. In this instance, the support 21 is of metal and has its lower edge curled around between itself and the top of the drawing board, as at 22, to provide a smooth lower edge which will not cut or tear papers etc. overhanging the support 21 is a metal canopy 23 from which depends a detent member which may be the relatively stiff but resilient rubber flap 24 which thus stands upon end on the support 21with its lower edge contacting or almost contacting with the support. One end of an instrument such as the triangle 20 may he slid along the support 21 and under the flap 24. The instrument will slightly displace the flap 24 and the resiliency of the latter will press the instrument into contactwith the support 21 with sufiicient pressure, so that the instrument will remain in this position, even though the board he tilted to the vertical position. In any position except the extreme vertical, the weight of the free end of the instriunent which is, as shown, unsupported, will enhance the frictional resistance to displacement of the instrument. The flap as may be a single piece as here shown and may advantageously have its lower edge divided into sections in end to end abutment longitudinally of the support as at 25, the flap as a whole being appropriately secured to the canopy 23, and the sections thus acting independently upon the particular instrument with which they engage.

So constructed and arranged I have shown a combination drawing and reference table, the surface 2 being the reference table and the board!) the drawing table, thus providing two Working surfaces one of which is instantly tiltable above the other with great economy of time and effort.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown for purposes of exemplification. Furthermore, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly as various combinations and subrcombinations may be advantageously employed.

For example, as here shown, the pivot pin 15 may be in the form of a shaft extending from one end of the table to the other and having a lever 17 at each end thereof so that either lever 17 may be operated to actuate both of the cocentrics 16, but my invention is not to be understood as limited to this feature.

Also the band 8 may have formed integrally therewith a projection 26 which engages a stop 2'7 on the standard 5 to support the board 9 in horizontal position as shown. Furthermore, the eccentric 16 may also carry'a finger 28 which by engaging the band 8 and the band end 12 limits the rotation of the pivot pin 15 to the effective are of operation of the lever 1'7.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, I claim: 7

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a base, of a drum carried by the base; a resilient band frictionally engaging the ios periphery of the drum, said band having adjacent free ends, a clip engaging the free ends, a cam lever pivoted within the clip rotatable to press the ends of the band together, and a drawing board carried by the band.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a base; of a drum carried by the base; a resilient band frictionally engaging the periphery of the drum, said band having adjacent free ends; a clip engaging the free ends; an eccentric pivoted within the clip and rotatable to press the ends of the band together; a drawing board carried by the band; said band adjacent one end enlarged laterally to provide a lug; and a standard carried upon the base supporting said drum provided with a stop in the path of travel of said lug to be engaged thereby to maintain the drawing board in horizontal position.

and an eccentric pivoted within each clip and rotatable to press the ends of the bands together.

RALPH I. SCHEUER. 

